There’s no shortage of meal preparation services that have popped up over the last year. The concept is great for a variety of home cooks including beginners, busy professionals or empty nesters.
I’m a proficient home cook, and I cook most nights so this concept intrigued me- someone else would plan the meal and give me all the ingredients? YES!
I was given a free trial by a friend already participating and decided to give it a try- after all, being free, what did I have to lose?
So here are my take aways:
Reasons I love:
- I cook food I normally wouldn’t cook= broadening our horizons. I rarely will choose a chicken recipe because I cook A LOT of chicken so instead I choose the seafood dishes, vegetarian and beef recipes. For four people, you get a choice of four entrees from which to choose two. If I don’t like any of the choices, I simply choose the “skip” option.
- Everything you need comes with the recipe. I love not having to hunt through the pantry for the flour and the spices or going to the garden to cut the herbs. It’s easy to organize myself because everything is there, all proportioned out. A huge time saver, in my opinion.
- Cheaper than going out. During the week, we will go out more out of convenience than entertainment. I’m either tired, got home late or don’t have the ingredients on hand and don’t want to hit the grocery store. Yes, I still have to cook, but it’s much easier when everything is on hand with easy to follow directions. A four-person meal $34.50, which equates to $8.60/person. There’s no way we would get a comparable meal out for that price.
- Great customer service. I have loved every meal I’ve received with the exception of a shrimp dish. I had put the shrimp in the freezer after I opened my box, but when they defrosted, I discovered they had gone bad. I emailed their customer service and was immediately credited for the entire meal. No hassle. No questions.
For novice cooks, there are a few things that you will need to make your experience more enjoyable:
- Olive oil Most recipes call for this oil to cook with.
- A good and sharp knife. While you do receive everything you need, many items still need to be chopped or sliced.
- Nesting bowls. I have a set of 10 nesting bowls that make cooking the meal a breeze. I put my chopped items in the bowls, and when I’m ready to cook, everything is right there.
- A good, non stick pan
Things to Watch Out For
- This is a weekly plan but you can “skip” a week. But you need to be on top of it or you’ll receive meals you didn’t want. I visit the app about every two weeks and I can be ahead of the curve. There is often 4-6 weeks of meals posted at any given time so you can really plan ahead.
If you’re interested in trying this, it’s easy to find a “free trial” offer either through a fellow user (message me if you’re interested) or visit the website (www.blueapron.com) or Groupon.
Happy Cooking!
